1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to pastes for forming electrodes of a plasma display panel (PDP), methods of making electrodes using the paste, and PDPs including the electrodes. More particularly, the invention is directed to a paste for forming a PDP electrode including an aluminum solution containing aluminum particles and a surface treatment agent.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photolithography, due to its simple processing requirements, has arisen as the dominant method of making electrodes of plasma display panels. Photolithography is performed by printing and drying a paste composition to form a film with a desired thickness, irradiating light onto the film using an ultraviolet exposure device equipped with a photomask, selectively removing unexposed regions in a developing process, and then sintering the resulting film.
A conventional paste composition for forming PDP electrode includes an inorganic powder and a photosensitive organic component. The inorganic powder comprises a highly conductive metal such as gold, silver, nickel, copper, aluminum or the like. Aluminum has good anti-migration characteristics compared to silver (Ag), and the price of raw aluminum is relatively low, making aluminum a good material for electrodes. However, during sintering, aluminum oxidizes rapidly to produce hydrogen gas, and the accumulation of hydrogen gas can cause explosions. Consequently, aluminum is conventionally used only in thin film processes, such as sputtering methods, and is not appropriate for photolithography processes in which a paste is manufactured and sintering is necessary.